Nicklas Lidström

Nicklas Lidström

Nicklas Erik Lidström (born April 28, 1970) is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman who played his entire 20-season National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Detroit Red Wings, captaining the Red Wings for the final six seasons of his career. Lidstrom is often referred to as Mr. Perfect or The Perfect Human. He always took a lot of pride in working hard, whether preparing for a season or during the season, and showing up every night.

Over his 20 NHL seasons, Lidström won four Stanley Cups, seven James Norris Memorial Trophies as the NHL's top defensive player, one Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP, and has been voted into twelve NHL All-Star Games. Over the course of his career, Lidström became the first European-born and trained NHL captain to win the Stanley Cup, as well as the first European player named playoff MVP. Lidström is also the all-time leader in games played with only one NHL team and by a European-born player. Lidström never missed the postseason in any of his 20 NHL seasons.

Representing Sweden, Lidström won the World Championship in 1991. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Lidström was a major factor in Sweden's win over Finland in the finals, scoring the gold medal clinching goal, thus earning him a spot on the Olympic All-Star Team. He also became the 17th member of the Triple Gold Club. The Hockey News selected Lidström as the "Best European-trained player ever in the NHL". The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated selected Lidström as the "NHL Player of the Decade".